resoun; and therfore whan man is dronken, he hath lost his resoun; and this is dedly synne. But shortly, whan that a man is not wont to strong drinke, and paraventure knowith not the strengthe of the drynk, or hath feblesse in his heed, or hath travayled, thurgh which he drynkith the more, and be sodeynly caught with drynke, it is no dedly synne, but venial. The secounde species of glotenye is, whan the spirit of a man wexith al trouble for drunkenesse, and bireveth him his witte and his discressioun. The thridde species of glotouns is, when a man devoureth his mete, and hath no rightful maner of etyng. The ferthe is, whan thurgh the grete abundance of his mete, the humours of his body be distemprid. The fifte is, forgetelnesse by to moche drinking, for which a man somtyme forgetith by the morwe what he dide at eve, or on the night bifore.

In other maner ben distinct the species of glotonye, after seint Gregory. The firste is, for to ete or drynke byfore tyme to ete. The secound is, whan man giveth him too delicate mete or drinke. The thridde is, whanne man takith too moche therof over mesure. The ferthe is, curiosité, with gret entent to make and apparayle his mete. The fifte is, for to ete too gredely. These be the fyve fyngres of the develes hand, by which he drawith folk to synne.

Remedium Contra Gulam

Agayns glotonye the remedie is abstinence, as saith Galien; but that holde I nought meritorie, if he do it oonly for the helth of his body. Seint Austyn wol that abstinence be don for vertu, and with pacience. Abstinence, he saith, is litil worth, but if a man have good wille therto, and but it be enforced by pacience and by charité, and that men doon it for Goddes sake, and in hope to have blisse of heven. The felawes of abstinence ben temperaunce, that holdith the mene in alle thinges; eek shame, that eschiewith al dishonesté; suffisaunce, that seeketh noone riche metes ne drynkes, ne careth not for outrageous apparaillyng of mete; mesure also that restreyneth by resoun the appetit of etyng; sobernes also, that restreyneth the outrage of drinke; sparynge also, that restreyneth the delicat ese to sitte longe atte his mete and softely, wherfore summe folk stonden of there owen wille to ete, because they wol ete atte lasse laysir.

De Luxuria

After glotonye thanne cometh leccherie, for these two synnes ben so neih cosyns, that ofte tyme thay wol not de-parte. Unde Paulus ad Ephes., nolite inebriari vino in quoest luxuria, etc. God wot this synne is ful displesaunt thing to God, for he sayde himself, Do no leccherie. And therfore he putte gret peyne agayn this synne. For in the olde law, if a womman thral were take in this synne, she sholde be beten with staves to the deth; and if she were a gentil-womman, she shulde be slayn with stoones; and if she were a bisshoppis doughter, she shulde be brent by Goddis com-aundement. Fortherover, for the synne of leccherie God drouned al the world at the flood, and after that he brente fyve citees with thonder and lightning, and sonk them into helle.

Now let us thanne speke of thilke stynkyng synne of leccherie, that men clepen advoutry, that is of weddid folk, that is to sayn, if that oon of them be widded, or elles bothe. Seint Johan saith, that advouteris shuln be in helle in watir brennyng of fyr and of brimston; in fyr for the leccherie, in brimston for the stynk of their ordure. Certis the brekyng of this sacrament is an horrible thing; hit was makid of God himself in Paradis, and confermed of Jhesu Crist, as witnesseth seint Mathew; a man shal lete fader and mooder, and take him to his wif, and thay shul ben two in oon fleish. This sacrament bitokeneth the knyttyng togider of Crist and of holy chirche. And nat oonly that God forbad advotrie in dede, but eek he comaundede, that thou sholdest not coveyte thy neyhebors wif. In this heste, seith seint Austyn, is for-boden al maner coveytise to do leccherie. Lo what seith seint Mathew in the Gospel, that who-so seth a womman, to coveytise of his lust, he hath done lecchery with hir in his herte. Here may ye se, that nought oonly the dede of this synne is forboden, but eek the desir to do that synne. This cursed synne annoyeth grevously them that it haunten: and first to there soule, for he obligith it to synne and to pyne of the deth that is durable; unto the body annoyeth it grevously also, for it dreyeth him and wastith him, and spoileth him, and of his blood he makith sacrifice to the devel of helle; it wastith eek his catel and his substaunce. And certes, if that it be a foul thing, a man to waste his catel on wommen, yit is it a fouler thing, whan